27 years on the road. Built for the nomads.
From dial-up cafes in Vietnam to coliving spaces across Southeast Asia. The tools changed. The truth did not. This is the story behind NomadToolsLab.
I am Chenzo.
I have been traveling since 1999. That is 27 years on the road, across 60+ countries, working from internet cafes, coliving spaces, beach huts, mountain cabins, and every kind of cowork from Europe to Asia.
People started calling me the King of Traveling because I never really stopped. I just changed the gear, the routers, the laptops, and the visa stamps.
These days my base swings between the Algarve in Portugal and wherever the next project takes me. The road never ends, it just changes shape.
NomadToolsLab is everything I learned, distilled into one site for the nomads coming after me.
The road has changed. The truth has not.
When I started in 1999, working remotely meant finding a cybercafe and paying for the hour. There was no Slack. No Zoom. No portable Wi-Fi router. You used what was there, and if the connection died you walked to the next cafe and started over.
I have set up portable offices in places where the power went out three times a day. I have run video calls from rooftops in Hanoi, coffee shops in Lisbon, and a beach bar in the Philippines where the only Wi-Fi was the owner’s phone hotspot. I have broken backpacks, killed laptop chargers, lost SIM cards in airports, and learned the hard way which gear lasts and which gear is hype.
Today the tech is unrecognizable. Starlink. eSIMs. M3 MacBooks. Portable monitors that fit in a folder. Coliving spaces where the Wi-Fi is faster than most offices in Europe. The road is easier than ever. But the trap is also bigger than ever.
Every blog, every YouTube channel, every Instagram nomad is pushing some tool, some gear, some affiliate link. Most of them have been on the road for three years. Some for one. Many never tested half the stuff they recommend.
That is why I built NomadToolsLab. Three decades of real road experience, applied to the modern remote work stack. Old-school traveling wisdom meets new-school tech.
What NomadToolsLab promises
Three things I will never compromise on, no matter how big this site grows.
Tested before recommended
If a tool, app, or piece of gear gets a review here, I have either used it myself or trusted someone in my network who lives on the road. No paid placements disguised as reviews.
Honest, even when it hurts
If something is overrated, I say it. If a brand has gone downhill, I say it. If a cheaper alternative works just as well, I link to it. Trust is the only currency that matters online.
Built for the long road
Most nomad sites are written for beginners on a 6-month trip. NomadToolsLab is for the long haul. The ones who actually live this life, year after year, country after country.
I have backpacks from 1999 still in my closet. The cheap one fell apart in six months. The right one is still going. That is what NomadToolsLab is about. Learning the difference.
Want the same tools I use today?
Get my Digital Nomad Setup Guide. The exact tech stack, gear list, and software setup I use after 27 years on the road. Free.
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